★118
A red beam passed through our combined attack, heading towards Atlas. In a flash, we swapped places, a Mystic Class appearing in my hand, deflecting the laser. The sword corroded instantly redirecting the attack.
'Now, this is serious.'
"The Wyrm Lord wasn't even the pinnacle of his peers."
"So?"
I asked, releasing my aura, summoning more of my powers as another Mystic Class sword answered my call.
"Who are you?"
I asked.
"My identity doesn't matter. But for what's going to happen, I shall introduce myself. I am Nebula—"
My breath caught, the world narrowed to that single moment as revealed his title. We're about to clash yet I already know the outcome of this match.
"Magos, the successor of void."
He finished as camly as he introduced.
'So that's him, Magos. A Nebula, Dark Stars that are on par with a Hypergod. Even if I, Atlas and Elaine, were to use our True Bodies, we won't stand a chance.
I've somehow managed to best Wyrm, a Dark God. I might win if I try. Nah, I'm overthinking.'
I shook my head, dismissing that possibility.
'I realised the worthlessness of Mega Arts during my last fight. I was only able to win due to Entares's power. If I let go now, I'll lose everything.'
'Switch, I promise to only dispose of him.'
'Never.'
I appeared in my Mind, stealing Enta's power for myself. His dark aura cloaks my body like writhing darkness.
"Are you ready, Atlas?"
"It's just the two of us. I won't hold back."
He answered, death rolling off his body like smoke from a burning god.
Magos hovered above us, with zero emission. No aura, no pressure, no presence, just a empty vessel with fathomless power. He said nothing for he didn't came here to talk. 'Capture me' was his command, anything else is secondary.
"Good."
Prepared and locked in, we moved at the same instant.
The world vanished into a blur as we charged, Space-Time Art; Threadwalking activating on its own. The existential lattice ignited before my eyes, countless radiant paths weaving through all directions.
These weren't mere space-lines or time-lines. They were the fusion of both, a single woven system of existence itself. Every being, every phenomenon, every breath in Creation, has a thread.
Everyone—except the one standing before us.
As a Dark Star and a Nebula Tier, he's a self-sufficient non-existent vessel, operating outside the norms we live in.
And Atlas too. With his body radiating death as 'finality', they constantly deactivates the threads because death has no direction. It just is. Threadless, unbound by this system.
(This system not the System.)
But right now? I didn't care if the intruder had threads or not. I didn't care if he existed inside the system or outside it.
'Because as long as these threads exist, I can travel through them instantaneously. This is kind of an inferior version of Aether Move that I can use anytime without draining myself.'
With my speed faster than Atlas's, I was in front of Magos, Rose Fang hungry for his neck.
Unlike teleportation, which relies on coordinates, I rely on thread. I can hop from one thread to another regardless of its distance or location in space and time.
In an instant, he waved his hand, nullifying the threads with nothing but presence of his hand moving. This threw me off balance, and I had to escape to another thread. By then, Atlas was onto him.
A claw-like shadow stroke forward and Magos, ever calculating, gently took some calculate sideways, the claw missing him by an inch.
He raised his hand which was nothing but an extension of what he's not, smacking Atlas away with a back slap. The victim crashed on the island, shaking the continent.
That change of event brought me more than enough to get me on my feet. I threadwalking to the nearest thread, using teleporting to cover the rest, my fist connecting with his temple, knocking him away.
"It worked, but it feels—odd?'
I ran out of words the moment something appeared behind me. No sound, no presence, just a shadow forming where nothing had been.
With a casual swing of his staff, my vision split. I'd been cleaved cleanly in half.
'U—Heh?'
Before the shock could even register, a cold hand gripped my hair.
He yanked me backwards, dragging me into the exact spot I'd been standing a second ago. And just like that, my body was whole again.
No pain, no wound, or an explanation, only the cold realisation that he could rewrite my position and my condition as easily as rearranging pieces on a board.
'T....Temporal Twist? No—what the hell is this? This is no Dark Star feat.'
Amid this unknown phenomenon, my body was suddenly whole again. And before I could even process that miracle, his hand slammed into my chest.
With raw, barbaric force, he flung me through the air. I crashed straight into Atlas, stopping his advance and sending both of us skidding across the atmosphere.
My thoughts spiralled.
'What is he? What kind of ability was that? How do we counter something that edits reality mid-motion?'
I forced myself to breathe, to focus, to think.
But then, a roar swallowed the air. The remaining light was absorbed by the pending attack, leaving night with something darker than the night itself pressing down on us.
A surge of darkness erupted from the intruder's outstretched hand, a catastrophic beam tearing through air, earth, and trees alike.
'Beware Atlas, he has something other than Dark Art.'
'I know. I saw it.'
I'd been cornered. I can't keep relying on existence to fight non-existent. I need something similar, some scarier.
I knew the right thing to counter with.
"Void Eater."
I called out to my wrath, and it responded immediately as if it'd been waiting for this moment. The mist-like darkness surged forward, absorbing the darkness whole.
'We've been fighting in our domain, and we're still losing due to his nature.'
'Let's create a domain similar to his but where we have control.'
I never knew Atlas was this sharp but he's right. He simply voiced out his thoughts because couldn't do it alone.
But he's not alone. The Paragon of Paradox is right next to him.
"Let's do it."
"Okay!"
I teleported us to an unknown space, fearing we might destroy our home or something more.
Simultaneously, the two charged their aspects. Atlas fired up death, and Asteri released Enta's void. The weight was so much that space itself began collapsing.
Death and void merged exploding into waves of chaotic force sealing the three in a dome-like structure. Atoms fall apart, magical energy dissipates, time collapses, and archetypes glitching. Everything is just in the form of pure anarchy.
Death, the end of form and void, the end of existence. Together, this domain denies the Concept of end because to end, it must have been.
'Even with this, how can we take him out?'
Naturally, we shouldn't be able to think, but this is void from a controlled source, so we have immunity to some vital erasure.
'Death may appear ineffective in here but not really. I'll see what I can do, but in the meantime, let's charge together while keeping our eyes on the staff.'
'He shouldn't be able to use that again given that this isn't his domain.'
'He's holding back. We have to take him out before he gets serious.'
"Time to take things to the next level."
Artificial World couldn't manifest due to the void and death, but that wasn't my goal.
I channelled the sub skill itself into my body just like that day. Light sparked above me, creating a white halo. My vessel is using more than 82% currently, and I'm ready to take more because I know it won't be enough.
Rose Fang settled on my palm, I swung once, erasing fragments of light around me.
"Big risk, but the result will be the same."
He spoke, and a faint red glow radiating from his body.
"Come."
He casually beckons.
'That glow means he's fighting against the domain. We have the potential to win, perhaps even kill him.'
I smirked, the tables might turn for the win probability is no longer zero.
"Alright. You've asked for it. Let's go!"
We moved rather fast for a place with no space, time, or distance.
Atlas was striking beam after beam, slash after slash all death-based attacks yet as expected, it wasn't enough to damage Magos. I did the same, void for void, which results in cancellation, and at times, it backfires, leaving me to sustain more damage.
Was he durable enough that death doesn't work, or perhaps his just so goated in Dark Art?
'Enta, you're an otherworlder to us. Your intervention is needed. Help Atlas enhance his attacks.'
'You bought that?'
"This is no time for jokes. You can do it, can't you?"
I spoke, frustrated. This isn't the time to dwell on Totality's words.
'I can, but what about you?'
'Don't worry about me. His death is needed here.'
'I'll warn ya. My powers are dangerous for someone other than you. Are you ready to take that risk on Atlas?'
'Do it.'
I replied without hesitation. Whatever may happen to Atlas in the future isn't something I can't deal with.
'I'll try.'
'Thanks.'
At first, nothing happened. Death was still weaker than Magos's skin. But with my void, I'm limiting some of his attacks.
After few seconds, I felt something familiar. Atlas's jet black attacks had traces of amethyst in them.
'Amethyst?'
I recoiled, surprised.
'Just focus on what's in front of you.'
Entares said. I gave him the permission so I must pay the price. Whatever Enta did, I had to trust him. For now.
After forcing him into a corner, our silent signal, Atlas unleashed it.
A jet-black flame laced with amethyst sparks that pulsed like dying stars roared to life. It streaked toward Magos's back, hungry to consume even the anti-being of his anti-form.
As if I were less dangerous than the oncoming fire, he dismissed me with a violent bitch slap and then turned his full attention to the flames of death. And that was my signal also.
In the same heartbeat the lost blade, Rose Fang and a Mystic Class Sword; Heaven's Seal, materialised behind him, their edges flashing violet.
Both weapons streaked forward, one aimed for his throat, the other for his chest, poised to strike in perfect unison.
"Gkk!"
He gagged, blood spilling from his mouth as Rose Fang sank deep into his neck, Heaven's Seal striking his chest.
His fingers twitched helplessly, unable to remove the blades due to the scarred chains from Babylon binding him. Completely immobilised, the flames of death consumed him. A burning inferno of dark amethyst essence shook the domain.
The flames kept burning for death is a factor in this domain. Atlas was breathing heavily, his hair stood on end, his eyes now darker than usual, death aura surrounded him, protecting him form any funny surprise attack.
"Did it work?"
He asked through laboured breath.
"I hope so—"
My words fell short as a razor-thin crimson laser sliced through the flames of death, its trajectory impossibly straight and its range unfathomable, leaving a clean, glowing incision across the dome.
Before us stood Magos, but the same can't be said for his staff. It was minor damage but one of the metals next to the orb was destroyed.
Unlike before, his neutral expression was gone. I injured his vessel. Even though it wasn't fatal, we have to pay the price.
"Come on, give us a break."
I sighed. Despite not being physically fatigued like Atlas, I was stressed down to my soulless body.
"Great, only the piece of metal was destroyed. Just great."
Atlas remarked in a sarcastic frustrated tone. Without a word, Magos raised his staff, the orb glowing red, as it released laser that cleaved half of the dome.
"Tch! He's trying to destroy the domain."
"Not on my watch."
Rose Fang appeared in my hand mid-rush.
If he destroys this domain, our defeat is sealed. I can't let him back into the Cardinal World not when we've pissed him off.
"Void Eater."
My wrath surged, taking the lead faster than I could.
"I've seen enough."
He answered with a calmness that felt almost insulting, letting his staff work on its own, firing precise, scything beams that carved through the domain without his attention.
His real focus was on us.
His palms met with a sharp clap, then separated. From that motion, a curtain of void spilt outward, unfolding like a starless blanket and sweeping over Void Eater and me in a single, swallowing wave.
I look up, unmoving as the lightless blanket crashed down on me.
'Damn it! I can't let Atlas face him alone. Entares, break this thing!'
'On it.'
From within the void blanket, a violet beam tore upwards, opening a narrow path for me to slip free. But I was a heartbeat too late.
The domain shattered into clean segments, diced apart by Magos's staff. A second earlier, it was over. It was Atlas.
"Deathcore. I'll be taking this."
Magos spoke with chilling calm as he reached into Atlas's chest and wrenched out the core in one smooth motion.
Atlas's vessel hollowed, lifeless, no longer held him folded inward and fell, plummeting toward the forest below. The core was his connection to his True Body and his source of power. It was severed so the puppet, Atlas, had his strings cut.
As my thoughts tangled, trying to decide my next move, something went wrong.
"Y—you—gugh—!"
The sound burst from my throat, raw and broken. My eyes flew wide as a sharp, numbing shock tore through my body.
For a split second, there was no pain—only disbelief. Then it hit all at once, deep and suffocating.
Blood bubbled from my mouth, warm and metallic essence dripping down my chin as my breath caught. My lungs refused to work properly, each inhale shallow and jagged.
"Don't look down."
Magos said it calmly, almost absent-mindedly, the core resting in one hand. He didn't turn, he didn't need to.
But after everything that had happened, how could I possibly heed an enemy's words?
I forced my gaze downward only to see his staff had run clean through me.
It was precise, almost deliberately placed where it would hurt most. The wound burned with a strange cold, as if something more than flesh had been pierced.
At that moment, I felt truly mortal. Something that should've healed in an instant was still bleeding. My blood flowing as though my vessel is bound by such biological restraint.
My hands trembling as I reached for the wound, my fingers coming back slick with blood. The drops didn't fall; they lingered in the air for a moment before fading away.
Form the orb, a pulse of red light tore across my vision, violent and absolute. My perception lost its shape in an instant—vision, sound, all of it collapsing at once.
My body felt weightless for a split second then numb. Darkness surged in, swallowing everything before I could even register the pain.
To be continued...